1.1 PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS 1 When did modern Materials Science and Engineering become a field of study? Every piece of PPE Personal Protective Equipment has to follow safety standards and laws: the volume of safety research has recently increased a lot. For example, research to develop new filters could lead to respirator improvements, or the production of a special fabric using metalorganic frameworks could deactivate both chemical and biological threats. MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING To make any engineered device, structure or product you need the right material. Materials Science and Engineering is the study of all materials, from those we see and use every day such as a glass or a piece of sports equipment to those used in aerospace and medicine. Fields of interest Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) combines Engineering, Physics and Chemistry principles to solve real-world problems associated with nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, energy, manufacturing and other major engineering disciplines. Materials scientists vs engineers Materials scientists and materials engineers do some similar tasks in their work, but with a slight difference: materials scientists focus more on research and tests to find how to improve products; ONLINE RESOURCES What does a materials engineer do? to be concerned with: studiare to behave: comportarsi device: dispositivo slight: piccolo, leggero threat: minaccia time-to-market: tempo di commercializzazione tyre: pneumatico to wear down: consumare, usurare windscreen: parabrezza 12 materials engineers do research as well but are more concerned with all aspects of production including costs, the production process and quality. Materials Science teaches us what things are made of and why they behave as they do. Materials Engineering shows us how to apply knowledge to make better things and to make things better. By understanding how materials work, they both create new materials for new applications as well as developing existing materials to improve performance. Advances in materials science Innovative materials play essential roles in safety , clean energy, transportation, human health, and industrial productivity. That is why researchers want to increase their understanding of the physical and chemical properties of materials, from morphological, to structural, magnetic, thermal, and mechanical characteristics. The discoveries resulting from Materials Science and Engineering research help intensify researchers ability to successfully correlate structural properties with functional performance. In turn, this insight helps commercial enterprises innovate products and processes to gain important time-to-market and cost advantages. Materials MechPower.indb 12 30/01/24 17:07